The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1887-09-01
The Wild Tribes of the Bombay
Forests.

The report of the Bombay Forest
Commission contains some interesting
information about the wild tribes of
the Konkan, the strip OF land in Bonn
bay that lies between the Western
Chats and the Arabian Sea. The wild
tribes are great number of persons
of different aboriginal races, who lead
an unsettled life and who subsist for
the greater part of the year on the
wages they earn as carriers and dis
trfbutors of forest produce among the
local residents.
There are three distinct wild tribes
left-the Katkaris $4,000 strong; the
Thakurs, $4,000 and the Varlis. 10000
| in strength individuals who lead a
| savage lite altogether. and exc out a
precarious living by sporadic hill
Guilty. alton, .by collecting forest pro-
1 duce for barter or sale at the nearest
markets, and also to a certain extent
by killing and eating various sorts of
twild animals They live in miserable
novels in or near the forests. The
Thatkurs are an unsettled tribe, ready
i to change their hamlet if child sick
ems or a COW dies. They wear scarce
ly any clothes, eat the coarsest food,
love Incidence and dissipation, have
no thought for the future, and spend
all they can in drink. Still, as rule,
they are quiet and peaceable and live
altogether by themselves. They Meth
er borrow nor steal. They are truth
full, honest, teachable, and harmless.
They are hardworking, the women
doing quite as much work as the men;
and they are much more thrifty and
| <hnr offh hn or,
Katkaris.. Some of their villages are
very orderly and clean, the people
showing much respect to the headman,
who belongs to their own caste. Tha'
kur means "a chief" and in days very
remote they probably had a position
of some standing.
The Katkaris, or makers of Kat
that is, cateehu-are the poorest ant
least hopeful of the three tribes
drunken, given to thieving, and un
lwilling to work. In 1925, according
to Bishop Heber, they were charcoa
burners, but SO wild and scared tina
they would have no direct dealing.
brought head loads of charcoal to par
ticular spots. whence. it was carries
/ away by the villagers, who left in it
. place customary payment of rice
| clothing, and iron tools. Eleven year
later Major Macintosh describe'
, them as great thieves, stealing corr
from fields and farmyards. commit
ting robberies in the villages at night
and plundering lonely travellers dur
ing the day. Their women work hard
|, acting as laborers, and bring int
: market the head loads of wood thei
. husbands have gathered in the forests
/ They are very poor. generally in rags
and often without any wholesome food
. As soon as they get together few pene
they spend it in drink and tobacco
A small body OF them, however, viii
draw water at the village wells and t
enter Kunbi houses.
The third tribe, the Varlis, are con
siderably better off. They are yer.
, innocent and harmless, but immodei
: lately fond of liquor. They commi
/ crimes of violence only when they al
Q drunk, and they join in thefts an
s gang robberies only when they al
u starving. Among themselves they AT
extremely fond of fun, and very Sc
t ciable. With strangers they are timi
r at first. but with Europeans whom the
: know they are frank and very truthful
D Nothing will induce them to leav
s the forests. they are passionatel
n fond of sport, and will@take their gun
/ into the forest and ,taJ th.re for day
together shooting sambhur, bhenkr
!, peacocks, and jungle and spur fowl
: over the forest pools and springs
|. 4 These types Of savage life are to b
+ found within an hour, or even half a
hours Journey of Bombay.